Engine.



J. FORSTROM.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.22,1916.

1,25%,21 9, Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

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ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 1915. 19.,

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ENGINE.

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ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.22, 1916; lfim fiww Patented Jan.22,1918.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4. 5 f 33 J5 53 JOHN FORSTROM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, l'illld.

Application filed April 22, 1916. Serial No. 92,853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FoRs'rnoM, citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to engines having pistons which reciprocate relatively of the engine cylinders, but wherein such relative reciprocation is accomplished by causing the cylinders to rotate around a center, which is eccentric to a center around which the support for the pistons is rotated.

The main object of this invention is to provide an improved valve for insuring the desired supply of fluid to and the exhaust from engine cylinders at the required times.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows an end view of an engine constructed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section taken on the line AA of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the valves for controlling the engine.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the valve structure shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail taken on the line BB of Fig. 4..

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail taken on the line C-C of Fig. 4:.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the valve structure shown in Fig. 4E.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail showing a means for supporting the engine cylinders.

The purpose of this invention in general is to combine in one machine mechanical structures having some of the advantages of rotary engines, and some of the advantages of the ordinary reciprocating type of engine, while at the same time avoiding certain losses in efficiency occurring in both of said types of engines. An example is, the loss of power usually occurring in rotary engines, due to the fact that the expansive power of the operating fluid is utilized to only a limited extent. Also, in reciprocating engines, more or less power is lost in overcoming the inertia of the piston at the end of its stroke, and the engine is come spondingly strained and racked, due to its vibration during the reversal of the movement of the piston, whereas in the present engine, the pistons and cylinders reciprocate relatively of each other, while continuously rotating about different eccentrically ar-.

ranged centers and, therefore, making it unnecessary to overcome the inertia of heavy moving parts but enabling such inertia to be utilized, as in a fly wheel in continuing the action of the engine.

In the drawings, a spoked wheel structure 1 is shown keyed to a driven shaft 2, the bearings for which are omitted from the drawings. A plurality of piston rods 3 are pivoted by pins st to lugs 5 on the inner side of the flange 6 of wheel 1. Attheir inner ends, the rods 3 are provided with piston heads 7 fitted within cylinders 8 which are in turn rotatably mounted on the fixed shaft 9 which is supported on one end by a fixed member 10, into which it is driven, and at its opposite end by a member 11 in which the inner end of shaft 2 is journaled. The member 10 serves to support the end of shaft 9 by hearing on shaft 2, which in turn is supported by separate beai: ings. At their inner ends, the cylinders 8 are each provided with curved bearing flanges 12 which engage the hollow shaft 13, between which and the shaft 9 are preferably located roller bearings 14. The hearing flanges 12 are held in contact with shaft 13 and radial displacement of the cylinc are is prevented by U bolts 16.1 passing around the hollow shaft 13, and through the flange 16 of the cylinders 8. The bolts 16.1 may be tightened as desired by nuts 16.2 threaded to the ends thereof. Displacement of the cylinders longitudinally of shaft 9 is prevented. by bearing member 10 and the member 11.

Ri id with the bearing member 10 and shaft 9 is a conical valve 15, the conical surface of which bears against a rotating block 17 having a correspondingly conical recess 17.1. The block 17 is connected by bolts 18 passing between the cylinders 8 to a plate or disk 19 rigid with sleeve 13 and bearing against the plain surface 20 of one side of the cylinders. The inner face 21 of block 17 bears against the plane faces 22 on the opposite side of the cylinders.

The above described mounting of the engine cylinders, while preventing their radial or lateral displacement, permits a slight in dependent angular motion of the cylinders around the shaft, by which motion the cylinders and pistons remain in true alinement as they respectively rotate around eccentric centers.

Each cylinder 8 is provided with passages 23 and 24 in the end wall 25 and the side wall 26, these passages respectively communicating with the interior of the cylinder near its inner and outer ends. The passages 23 and 24; alternately serve as intake and exhaust passages. Thus, while the cylinder is exhausting through the passage 23, steam will be admitted thereto at the opposite side of the piston through the passage 24 and when the cylinder is exhausting through the passage 2%, steam will be admitted through the passage 23. The passages 23 and 2st of each cylinder respectively communicate with passages 27 and 28 in the block 17. This block rotates with the engine and for this purpose is preferably provided with lugs 29 extending between the cylinders, and which are engaged by corresponding lugs 29.1 on the cylinders.

The passages 27 and 28 are somewhat elongated as shown in Fig. 3, at the points where they communicate with the passages 23 and 24., to insure proper communication therewith irrespective of the slight relative angular motion of the cylinders with re spect to block 17. Packing 30 may be provided between the faces 21 and of the cylinders and block 17 to prevent leakage of steam between the passages 27 and 28 or 23 and 2 1, although said faces are held in fairly firm contact by bolts 18.

During rotation of the engine the passages 27 and 28 communicate by ports 31 and 32 with different ones of grooves 33 to 40 inclusive, cut in an annular direction in the conical face ell of the valve member 15.

These grooves may constitute supply and port 32, and it also has exhaust passages 4-6 communicating, through the space 4-6.1 at the rear of valve 4- 1. with the exhaust port 43 in member 10. The grooves 33 and 3-1 respectively communicate with passages 47 and 48 leading to the conical. recess 49 within which the throttle valve 14 is fitted. Also, the grooves 37 and 38 communicate respectively through passages 50 and 51 with the recess 49.

The valve member 15 is also provided with passages 52 to 55 inclusive, which provide communication respectively between the grooves 33 and 39, 34k and 10, 35'and 37, 36 and 38. When the throttle valve 14: is in the position shown in Fig. 4, the outlet port 56 of the steam supplv passage 15 does not register with any of the ports 57 to 60 inclusive, of the passages 47, 48, 50, and 51, Fig. 4, and, therefore, no motive fluid is supplied to any of the cylinders of the en ginc, but when the valve a4: is turned approximately l5 to the right or left by ma nipulation of the handle 61 tapped into the stem 14.1 of the throttle valve, the port- 56 comes into alinement with one or both of ports 57 and 58, or 59 and 60. The inlet port 62 of supply passage +15 is very much elongated as shown in Fig. 4-, in order that it shall remain in communication with the supply passage 42 many of the positions to which the throttle valve may be set.

If the throttle valve moved'to the position in which port 56 registers with port 57, steam enters passage 4t? from which it is delivered to the groove 33 in the conical valve member i1. Steam is at the same time delivered to groove 39 in the said valve member, through the passage 52, which connects the last mentioned groove with the groove 33. Steam will, therefore, be delivered to two of the engine cylinders through the passages 27 and 2-1 for one cylinder, and 28 and 23 for another cylinder. The steam which enters passage 27 from the groove through the inlet port 32 passes to one of the engine cylinders through the passage 2% therein, the steam being, delivered to the outer end of the cylinder in back of a piston 7. Thesteam which is delivered from groove 39 to the passage 28 in block 17 enters another cylinderthrough the passage- 23 in the innerend thereof, in front of its respective piston. The actionof the steam tends to force one piston inwardly and the other piston outwardly with respect to their respective cylinders, the force of the expansion ultimately acting between the'pivotal point 41 of the pistons and the stationary crank shaft 9 which is eccentric to the center of rotation of wheel 1. The wheel is thereby caused to rotate as if under the in the grooves 3e and 40 thesteam continues to expand in the barticular cylinders to much it had been admitted, causing the pistons thereof to move relatively in'said cylinders 1n opposite dlrections. Continued" rotation of the engine causes the same ports to pass over the grooves 37, 38, and 35, 36, which are connected in pairs by the passages 54 and 55, as above mentioned, permitting the steam to exhaust to one of the exhaust passages -16, throughsaid grooves .and passages and 51, upon the reversal of the pistons. The operation is repeated for each cylinder as its respective ports 31 and 32 pass over the grooves in the valve member 15 in the successive order above mentioned.

The operation of the engine is accomplished by permitting steam to enter through the port 57 of passage 47, or the port 59 of passage 50, Fig. 4. For this purpose, throttle valve 45 is angularly adjusted by means o1 handle 61 to bring the feed port 56 opposite either the ports 57 or 59. By such adjustment of the throttle, the engine may be caused to rotate in a forward or a reverse direction. For instance, if the port 56 is caused to register with the port 57 port 58 will be closed by the solid surface of throttle valve 45 and the ports 59 and 60 will register with an aperture 4.6 in the throttle valve, which serves as an exhaust conduit by being in communication with the exhaust port 4.3 as shown in Fig. 4. Steam entering the port 57 is delivered to groove 33, and from said groove through passage is delivered to the groove 39. The pair of cylinders which communicate at such time with the grooves 33 and 39 by the ports 31 and 32, accordingly receive steam at opposite sides of their respective pistons, causing the engine to rotate in the direction in which the force is applied between the pistons and the stationary crank shaft 9. The steam is shut oif as the particular pair of ports 31 and 32 pass over grooves 34 and F 40, and is exhausted as these ports pass over grooves 37, 38, and 35, 36. 7

If the throttle valve 15 is adjusted to cause the steam supply port 56 to register with the port 59, steam is admitted to the grooves 38 and 36, which now become feed ports, While the grooves 37 and 35 are closed to the engine cylinders and also to the ex haust, since a. solid part of the throttle valve covers port 60. The steam in the cylinders is thereby permitted to. expand during the passage of a pair of ports 31 and 32 over the said last mentioned grooves. When these same ports register with the grooves 34, 33, and 40, 39, the respective cylinders exhaust.

It is possible to so adjust the throttle valve that the port 56 thereof will register the expansion of the steam in the cylinders,

become feed grooves and the steam is delivered at full pressure during the entire stroke of the piston.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. An engine, comprising a driven rotatable member, a plurality of pistons radially mounted on said member, a plurality of cylinders cooperating with said pistons, said cylinders being mounted to rotate around a support therefor which is eccentric to the support for said driven rotatable member,

and a. valve structure arranged to supply an operating fluid to said cylinders during their rotation, said valve structure being provided with two sets of four annularly alined grooves, passages connecting the opposite grooves of opposite sets, and adjustable means for supplying steam to any pair of communicating grooves and providing an outlet from two pairs of the remaining grooves.

2. An engine, comprising a driven rotatable member, a plurality of pistons radially mounted on said member, a plurality of cylinders cooperating with said pistons, said cylinders being mounted to rotate around a support therefor which is eccentric to the support for said driven rotatable member, and a valve structure arranged to supply an operating fluid alternately into opposite ends of said cylinders during their rotation, said valve structure being provided with two sets of four annularly alined grooves, passages connecting the opposite grooves of opposite sets, and adjustable means for supplying steam to any pair of communicating grooves and providing an outlet from two pairs of the remaining grooves.

Signed at Chicago this 18th day of April,

JOHN 'FORSTROM.

Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatenta,

Washington, D. C. 

